Name: 
 

Midterm Practice Exam


Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

1. 
How many kilometers are there in a meter?
a.
100
b.
1,000
c.
10,000
d.
0.01
e.
0.001
 

2. 
Scientific notation is used in science because
a.
it makes it easy to write big or small numbers.
b.
all astronomical distances are expressed in metric units.
c.
it makes conversions between units easy.
d.
all of the above
e.
none of the above
 

3. 
If the nearest star is 4.2 light-years away, then
a.
the star is 4.2 million AU away.
b.
the light we see left the star 4.2 years ago.
c.
the star must have formed 4.2 billion years ago.
d.
the star must be older than the sun.
e.
the star must be younger than the sun.
 

4. 
The Andromeda Galaxy is at a distance of 2.2 million light years. What does this statement tell us about the Andromeda Galaxy?
a.
The Andromeda Galaxy is located within the Milky Way Galaxy
b.
The Andromeda Galaxy is not part of the Local Group.
c.
The light from the Andromeda Galaxy has taken 2.2 x 106 years to reach Earth.
d.
The Andromeda Galaxy can be no more than 2.2 million years old.
e.
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way.
 

5. 
A galaxy contains
a.
primarily planets.
b.
lots of gas and dust but very few stars.
c.
lots of gas, dust, and stars.
d.
a single star and planets.
e.
thousands of superclusters.
 

6. 
The radius of the moon's orbit is about ________ times larger than the radius of Earth.
a.
0.6
b.
6
c.
60
d.
600
e.
6000
 

7. 
The Milky Way Galaxy
a.
contains about 100 billion stars.
b.
is about 100 light-years in diameter.
c.
is the largest known object in the universe.
d.
all of the above
e.
a and c
 

8. 
2.9 x 107 is the same as
a.
2.9 thousand
b.
29 thousand
c.
290 thousand
d.
2.9 million
e.
29 million
 

9. 
4.63 x 109 is the same as
a.
4,630,000,000
b.
463,000,000
c.
46,300,000
d.
4,630,000
e.
4.63 million
 

10. 
If the universe is 12 billion years old, what is the distance to the most distant object that we will be able to observe?
a.
1.2 x 108
b.
1.2 x 1010 AU.
c.
1.2 x 106 ly
d.
1.2 x 1010 ly
e.
1.2 x 108 ly
 

11. 
In the diagram below, what is the diameter of Mercury?

studyguide1-11_files/i0120000.jpg
a.
about 240 km
b.
about 2400 km
c.
about 24,000 km
d.
about 240,000 km
e.
about 2.4 x 106 km
 

12. 
In the diagram below, what is the diameter of Jupiter?

studyguide1-11_files/i0130000.jpg
a.
about 9,000 km
b.
about 35,700 km
c.
about 71,400 km
d.
about 143,000 km
e.
about 3.57x 105 km
 

13. 
If light takes 8 minutes to reach Earth from the sun and 5 hours to reach Pluto, what is the distance from the sun to Pluto?
a.
5 AU
b.
37.5 AU
c.
37.5 ly
d.
5 ly
e.
0.6 ly
 

14. 
If light takes 8 minutes to reach Earth from the sun and Venus is 0.7 AU from the sun, how long does it take light to travel from the sun to Venus?
a.
5.6 minutes
b.
1.1 seconds
c.
1.5 minutes
d.
1.1 minutes
e.
5.6 sec
 

15. 
Earth has a radius of about 6,400 km, the sun has a radius of about 7.0 x 105 km, and a rubber ball has a radius of 6.4 cm. If you were to construct a scale model of the solar system using the rubber ball to represent Earth, what is the radius of a ball needed to represent the sun in your model?
a.
7.0 x 105 cm
b.
7.0 cm
c.
700 cm
d.
70 cm
e.
7,000 cm
 

16. 
Seen from the northern latitudes, the star Polaris
a.
is never above the horizon during the day.
b.
always sets directly in the west.
c.
is always above the northern horizon.
d.
is never visible during the winter.
e.
is the brightest star in the sky.
 

17. 
The celestial equator is
a.
a line around the sky directly above Earth's equator.
b.
the dividing line between the north and south celestial hemispheres.
c.
the path that the sun appears to follow on the celestial sphere as Earth orbits the sun.
d.
a and b.
e.
a and c.
 

18. 
Constellation names are
a.
Latin.
b.
Greek.
c.
Arabic.
d.
English.
e.
Italian.
 

19. 
The magnitude scale
a.
originated just after the telescope was invented.
b.
can be used to indicate the apparent intensity of a celestial object.
c.
was devised by Galileo.
d.
is no longer used today.
e.
was used to determine the rate of precession.
 

20. 
The apparent visual magnitude of a star is 7.3. This tells us that the star is
a.
one of the brighter stars in the sky.
b.
bright enough that it would be visible even during the day.
c.
not visible with the unaided eye.
d.
very far from Earth.
e.
very close to Earth.
 

21. 
The apparent visual magnitude of a star is a measure of the star's
a.
size.
b.
intensity.
c.
distance.
d.
color.
e.
temperature.
 

22. 
Which star in the table below would appear the brightest to an observer on Earth?

Star
Name
Apparent Visual
Magnitude
d Dra
3.07
a Cet
2.53
r Per
3.98
Nim
8.07
a Cma
-1.46 
a.
a Cet
b.
a CM
c.
Nim
d.
r Per
e.
d Dra
 

23. 
Based on the information in the table below, what is the ratio of the intensity of Dra to that of Nim?

Star
Name
Apparent Visual
Magnitude
d Dra
3.07
a Cet
2.53
r Per
3.98
Nim
8.07
a Cma
-1.46 
a.
2.512
b.
5
c.
8.07
d.
11.14
e.
100
 

24. 
Which star in the table below would not be visible to the unaided eye of an observer on Earth?

Star
Name
Apparent Visual
Magnitude
d Dra
3.07
a Cet
2.53
r Per
3.98
Nim
8.07
a Cma
-1.46 
a.
a Cet
b.
a Cma
c.
Nim
d.
r Per
e.
d Dra
 

25. 
You live at a latitude of 73° N. What is the angle between the northern horizon and the north celestial pole?
a.
73°
b.
27°
c.
17°
d.
23 1/2°
e.
5°
 

26. 
You live at a latitude of 39° S. What is the angle between the southern horizon and the south celestial pole?
a.
45°
b.
23.5°
c.
39°
d.
51°
e.
The answer depends on the day of the year.